SOX / ICFR Lead Vice President - SOX Control & Compliance

We’re seeking a future team member for the role of SOX / ICFR Lead, Vice President, to join our SOX & Controls team. This role is located in Manchester, UK.

In this role, you’ll make an impact in the following ways:

• Own the end-to-end delivery of assigned SOX and ICFR workstreams, including planning, walkthroughs, testing, issue tracking, and reporting against agreed milestones.
• Perform and coordinate risk assessments to identify significant processes, key controls, and changes in systems, products, or business activities that may impact financial reporting risk.
• Lead the refresh of narratives, risk and control matrices, flowcharts, and control inventories, ensuring documentation remains current, complete, and audit ready.
• Evaluate the design and operating effectiveness of key SOX manual controls, including review of evidence, exception analysis, and documentation of conclusions.
• Coordinate with control owners and business partners to schedule walkthroughs, obtain evidence, resolve questions, and support timely completion of testing activities.
• Identify control gaps or weaknesses, assess potential impact, and support remediation planning and validation of corrective actions.
• Serve as a primary liaison for internal and external auditors for assigned reviews, ensuring clear communication and high-quality support through the audit lifecycle.
• Prepare concise updates on progress, issues, risks, and remediation status for management and support escalation where required.
• Coach and support Senior Associates and other junior team members on testing methodology, documentation standards, and stakeholder engagement.

To be successful in this role, we’re seeking the following:

• Strong understanding of SOX, ICFR, internal controls, and financial reporting processes in a regulated environment.
• Relevant experience in SOX testing, internal audit, external audit, finance controls, controllership, or risk and controls roles, preferably within banking or financial services.
• Experience leading walkthroughs, documenting processes, testing controls, evaluating exceptions, and producing high-quality working papers.
• Knowledge of automated controls, system reports, interfaces, spreadsheets/end-user computing, and relevant IT control dependencies to have an integrated view for SOX.
• Strong analytical and organisational skills with the ability to manage multiple workstreams and deadlines.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills and ability to work effectively with stakeholders across multiple functions and seniority levels.
• Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, Business, Risk Management, or a related field.
• Professional qualification such as CA, CPA, ACCA, ACA, CIA, CISA, or equivalent preferred.
• Experience in banking products, financial close, regulatory reporting, or enterprise controls frameworks such as COSO.
• Exposure to process improvement, automation opportunities, or control rationalisation initiatives.